Attention all Knifemakers!.....Product dealers/retailers and/or knife makers/sharpeners/hobbyists (etc) are not permitted to insert business related text/videos/images (company/company name/product references) and/or links into your signature line, your homepage url (within the homepage profile box), within any posts, within your avatar, nor anywhere else on this site. Market research (such as asking questions regarding or referring to products/services that you make/offer for sale or posting pictures of finished projects) is prohibited. These features are reserved for supporting vendors and hobbyists.....Also, there is no need to announce to the community that you are a knifemaker unless you're trying to sell something so please refrain from sharing.
Thanks for your co-operation!

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums by donating using the link above or becoming a Supporting Member.

As to the shifting after clamping, is that almost inevitable? Seems as though the way you folks do it, as long as it doesn't shift too much, that it should still work out when you do the final shaping?

I cannot believe how helpful everyone is here. I thought a wa handle would be a simple, few step process and obviously I am so off base. With all the help, I do think I can find a compromise of some of the methods listed, though Taz's explanation helps clear up a few of the issues that I could see running into...the only thing I know for sure is that it won't go down on my best knives until I have done one or two...oh yeah and my best knives aren't even close to what you folks consider 'nice knives' though with a little more time around here, I can see replacing everything with custom made jobs.

If your dowel is round, you can drill a hole in your block and your ferrule and use it as a backbone, so to speak. You will need to do some calculation on the how deep to drill into the block and ferrule.

Since everything is round, shifting can occur. To prevent any shifting during glue up, I would glue in the dowel first (use very little epoxy, you can even stick the knife tang in making sure there is full contact between woods), and square your tang slot to the block. The part of your dowel that protrudes out, will couple with your ferrule, with spacer sandwiched in between. So you need to calculate how deep to drill into the block, and the ferrule, so you have a neat fit. And remember, if everything is fitted well, you will need very little epoxy for internal gluing.

Also, don't leave too much thickness on the face end of your ferrule, where you will shape your tang slot, maybe 1/4" at most.

You can shape the tang slot on your face end of the ferrule before assembly (I would), or after the handle has been glued together. Eather way, you will need to drill a pilot hole with a small bit after your drilled the dowel hole. If you shape before glue up, you can drill several side by side if you XY Drill Vis), and then shape the tang slot with files.

When you glue up, insert a flat piece of metal to align the slot on the ferrule and on the dowel.

As WillC pointed out in his post, it is good to let epoxy set a little bit before clamping, so you don't have much shifting. I assume you will shape the handle after it has been glued up.

Using dowel will reinforce a structure of a handle, allowing for metal spacers. Even if metal heats up, it won't affect the handle, as the dowel is what holds parts of the handle together.

M

"All beauty that has no foundation in use, soon grows distasteful and needs continuous replacement with something new." The Shakers' saying.

If your dowel is round, you can drill a hole in your block and your ferrule and use it as a backbone, so to speak. You will need to do some calculation on the how deep to drill into the block and ferrule.

Since everything is round, shifting can occur. To prevent any shifting during glue up, I would glue in the dowel first (use very little epoxy, you can even stick the knife tang in making sure there is full contact between woods), and square your tang slot to the block. The part of your dowel that protrudes out, will couple with your ferrule, with spacer sandwiched in between. So you need to calculate how deep to drill into the block, and the ferrule, so you have a neat fit. And remember, if everything is fitted well, you will need very little epoxy for internal gluing.

Also, don't leave too much thickness on the face end of your ferrule, where you will shape your tang slot, maybe 1/4" at most.

You can shape the tang slot on your face end of the ferrule before assembly (I would), or after the handle has been glued together. Eather way, you will need to drill a pilot hole with a small bit after your drilled the dowel hole. If you shape before glue up, you can drill several side by side if you XY Drill Vis), and then shape the tang slot with files.

When you glue up, insert a flat piece of metal to align the slot on the ferrule and on the dowel.

As WillC pointed out in his post, it is good to let epoxy set a little bit before clamping, so you don't have much shifting. I assume you will shape the handle after it has been glued up.

Using dowel will reinforce a structure of a handle, allowing for metal spacers. Even if metal heats up, it won't affect the handle, as the dowel is what holds parts of the handle together.

M

I think using the dowel or the aluminum tubing as Taz has suggested makes perfect sense. Somewhat like building a house: build the structure on the inside first (not usually seen but the part doing most of the work) and then build the outside. With all the advice and suggestions I am going to be feeling the pressure to pull this off...at least by my 2nd or 3rd attempt:>)

Maybe an obvious question, but I am guessing the smart thing would be to disassemble the project knife first in order to determine the exact depth to drill?

Yes, you need to remove the old handle. You also might want to thin the tang for a clean installation, as tang thickness on some Japanese (and Carter) will be different - thicker in the middle than where the handle comes to stop as result of grinding and polishing.

"All beauty that has no foundation in use, soon grows distasteful and needs continuous replacement with something new." The Shakers' saying.

Yes, you need to remove the old handle. You also might want to thin the tang for a clean installation, as tang thickness on some Japanese (and Carter) will be different - thicker in the middle than where the handle comes to stop as result of grinding and polishing.